New iPhone Photo App: Cross Process
Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 10:18PM | Glyn Evans "Normal Colors are for babies!"
Description from the AppStore: CrossProcess adds color and character to your photos by emulating the look of Cross Processing film. CrossProcess turns your ordinary iPhone shots into beautiful, one of a kind images with unique colors and contrast. Based on looks from real film stock.
Features:
- Red Green Blue and Basic filters emulate different film stock. Pick your favorite or use them all.
- Real Film Sound FX.
- Process existing photos
- Automatically saves to your camera roll.
Perfect Processing Technology: We studied REAL cross processed film and developed an app to emulate it perfectly.
AppStore Link: Cross Process - Price £0.59/£0.99
Editors comments: From the same developer as ShakeItPhoto which I like using, I personally find this app a real disappointment, and whilst it may be easy to use, has the ability to tweak the colours by selecting which ones you want to use to cross process, the results are nothing to shout about.
Cross Process in New iPhone Photo Apps
Reader Comments (19)
I am super disappointed with this app. I am also very very annoyed at the developer. This should have been a free update to ShakeItPhoto. When I first ran the program I was like hey someone ripped off ShakeItPhoto and did not even do a good job of it. I took the time to run a test photo through almost every effect configuration. I must say that the effects hardly differ from image to image. Sometimes the Red filter will sort of go crazy and throw a very intense red hue over the entire image. When I found out this was the same developer I really really lost a lost of respect for him. This just seems like a 99 cent not so improved version of ShakeItPhoto. I would have more respect if he added it as an optional paid download or package to ShakeItPhoto. Sorry this is just a huge pet peeve of mine.
As I've stated on here in the forum post. I agree with all the above 100%
an absolute let down & honestly should have been an update given to the loyal users of ShakeItPhoto.
SCW
I went and bit the bullet and purchased it on Thursday. I like it. So far the results are nice. I am not sure why everyone wants it to be an update of SIP, but that's just my opinion.
@Kristin my personal reasoning behind why this should have been a free update given to shakeitphoto is... that since SIP was released & so many apps have come along & do more & give the users more for their $$$ that the only way for SIP to even stay relevant & keep users interested & even get new users to buy the old product... is to have added cross process to it's original app. plus let alone the fact that CP does little to nothing that you could achieve with a number of other apps that I know you already own. so as a separate app it gives nothing new, useful, creative or noteworthy to anyone silly enough to have paid the $0.99 for.
One major unimpressive app that was a let down only minutes after throwing away my dollar!
SCW
If you'd rather run five separate apps to layer a bunch of different modifications each time, instead of a single, fun to use and well-made 99c app, I guess that's really your business. I'm personally happy with the subtle, well-balanced results from Cross Process, although the name is a bit inaccurate.
Also, I can't agree this should have anything to do with ShakeItPhoto, which was only meant to do one thing: emulate an instant film camera right down to the shaking. If this had made it into ShakeItPhoto, we'd be restricted to a square format, and the borders wouldn't be removable, and those are two features of Cross Process I really appreciate. I can't believe this is even being discussed. It's like asking for Photoshop and Illustrator and InDesign to be combined into a single product because you don't like paying for more than one of them, regardless of what it would mean to the integrity of their design and functionality. Seriously?
I use ShakeItPhoto every day (365 project) and I love it, but I have no desire to buy the new app. SIP was the first photo app I got, but I have since downloaded other every good simple free apps.
Brandon, do you know about Colour Mill? A great little known FREE photo app from the award winning visual effects company?
Hi Anders, I do indeed, and use it quite regularly. But as much as I like to fine-tune photos, I'm also a big fan of random results and forced one-offs, which is why I like Hipstamatic and using ShakeItPhoto/Cross Process with the "Save Original" options turned off. I really think Nick Campbell's two apps are geared towards that kind of usage, because of how they start in camera mode, and Cross Process doesn't make it easy to choose the effect you want (the options are just there so you can disable a particular color if you don't like it, I turn Red off, for instance.)
I think Mr. Barr is confused as to how the color options work. It sounds like he believes the selected colors are all mixed into the final result, and having different combinations turned on will give different effects? The app behaves more like Takayuki Fukatsu's ToyCamera, where one of the color effects is chosen at random each time, and the sliders only enable or disable the possibility of that effect being used. In short: there are only four possible results per photo. Red always creates a strong red color cast. Not "sometimes".
I like Cross Process, the results are really nice. ShakeItPhoto is amazing, but sometimes the image degradation (as part of the polaroid processing) is too much. I mean, the iPhone camera is pretty bad, but it's not THAT bad. ShakeItPhoto does do some awesome photos, but sometimes you just want a hi-res photo with adjusted color. I think Color Process does that well.
I'm sure there are other apps out there that sort of do what it does, but I really like the results. Probably worth the $1 to try it out.
"the results are nothing to shout about."
I have to say I disagree with you there! I love the results - they;re not to ott and they give a boring photo a nice colour, which for example when blogging or adding to facebook makes them just look so much better!
Some crossprocess actions on ps - go completely mental with the reds or the greens and this gets it just right! I don't regret purchasing it at all - its now on the top page of my apps: camerabag, hipstamatic, toy camera, crossprocess :)
Does Cross Process not save the original photo?
I get the uniqueness, when you shoot without the originals. But I would still like to have them.
Anders: It does, but you can choose for it not to.
Robert and SCW:
How could CP possibly be an update for SIP, when SIP is a POLAROID app? You just wanted something for free. Give me a break.
I think it's a great app... And hey, it's one dollar guys;)
@sadie Well you must not know who I am so I won't even justify your comment with an additional reply!
I think for one dollar this app is awesome. I like the square format of ShakeItPhoto even though I've struggled with the framing... but I especially like this, because I get exactly what I see, no cropping.
Also, the color combinations are cool, especially processing an image twice with different filters. We're talking .99 cents... it's well worth it.
As per the discussion board I've put my money where my mouth is and I'm loving the subtle effects from this app. There is a danger of over-editing with all the wonderful apps for the iPhone so it's good to get back to trying to take decent photos and running them through this for a hint of nostalgia, rather than the app making the photo for me (and often making it - well, weird really). The interface is a little clunky as others have stated, but for 59p I for one have no complaints.
I love CrossProcess the processing is nice and subtle I like that you have a choice I usually just have blue on and the results have a bit of bite. Love the frame too I always leave original option on cuz then i can do stuff to it with all my other Apps ( ShakItPhoto, Camerabag, cameraTan, etc) also has anyone tried turning all the colors off? Try it, you get the coolest color negative that way! Another gr8 reason to save the original! And NO I don't believe it should have been bundled with Shake It Photo, that's absurd. I maybe wish the colors were crazier, but still love it. Gr8 job Nick Campbell
One more thing... It's amazing how much people are complaining about a .99 cent App I mean is it the ONLY photo App you plunked your life savings on? NO I'm sure NOT plus if you really want REAL xpro then plunk for Lomo cameras and stop bitchin ha ha ha this at least you see the results right away. OR get Camerabag it has a nice colorcross filter as well ... MY POINT is that with this and shakeitphoto what you get is what you get you don't have to bother with accumulating 10 versions of the same shot cuz you can't decide which you like best ugh hate that sometimes! ;?)
This has become one of my favorite apps, and so for the first proper post on my new iPhone photography site, Pocket Plastic, I've written a review of Cross Process. Hope it convinces a few people to take it up.
http://pocketplastic.posterous.com/app-cross-process-by-nick-campbell